This 1965 Chevy Chevelle has quite a story to tell. It even started out a little different than most. In 1965, a couple purchased matching cars. The only differences were that his had a 300hp 327 V-8, while hers had a straight-six. They were daily drivers for the couple for many years. This was a simpler time. Cars were simpler. People's lives were simpler. This was an era when you didn't put 10,000 miles a year on a car. And cars held up for decades with regular maintenance. When it came time for the original owner to sell the car 36 years and 60,000 miles later, it was still a solid car. The original paint and interior looked as good as a car only a fraction of its age. And this A-body was still up to the duty of providing daily service.

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Meanwhile, Kyle and Stacy Tucker of Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE) had just finished the event circuit with their Twister '69 Camaro. They had won awards, taken home trophies from races, and gained the attention of thousands with performance and detail in execution with their Camaro. But there's always the question of what to do next. There's almost an expectation when you're in the limelight. They thought about what to do next, considering the various options, and decided on building an early Chevelle. The search was on. Kyle found this clean, one-owner gem in Arkansas. They bought the car and brought it home. They did the Power Tour with it in 2001 before they had a chance to do much more than wash the car. Stacy said that it was a totally different experience in this completely stock Chevelle compared to the year prior in a totally built Camaro. In 2000, they could blow by anyone. In 2001, everyone was blowing by them.

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Then the car got sidelined as Kyle and Stacy launched their business, DSE. The Chevelle sat while they built and sold Camaro components that they had developed while building the Twister and several other first-generation Camaros.

4/23We should all look so good at 45 years old. This '65 Chevelle still sports the original Butternut Yellow paint and interior, but it owes its modern look to Budnik wheels and a cool stance provided by DSE.

Several years later, the car was pulled back into action, this time for business as well as transportation. The Chevelle had an unmolested chassis, which would be perfect for DSE to engineer their suspension components with. It also re-entered into its life of daily transportation, this time for Kyle. The car was initially fitted with prototype DSE springs and shocks front and rear. When the first set of A-arms was ready for testing, they were fitted to the car. Then the initial drop spindles. It currently sports the DSE Speed Kit 3, which is a combination of all of these components, plus the company's 600 Steering gear and splined front sway bar. The rear suspension is also a DSE Speed Kit 3, and it is equally as trick. The core of the kit is a set of Swivel Link rear control arms. The complete kit also includes coilover shocks and springs, rear sway bar, and chassis brace kit. (See the "DSE Suspension" sidebar for more information on all of these suspension components.)

Before you start thinking that this car had left one cushy life for another, think again. As a development mule, this car's job is to hit every pothole between the Tucker's house and DSE's shop. In between pothole runs, the car spends time on the skidpad, a slalom course, or a test route that the Tucker's developed around their shop. The team at DSE uses it to continually refine the suspension and try new components. They'll spend weeks just doing shock tuning. They're not only looking for performance and ride quality, but they are also using this Chevelle for durability testing, and the only way you can do that is by beating on it. The car has also seen quite a lot of use lately driving to and from events, and smoking the tires around road courses and autocrosses. It even won the autocross event at the Goodguys Charlotte event. The Chevelle went on the 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour, and then was driven to Chevellabration in Tennessee where it ran 50 laps on the autocross. The next day after returning to the shop, a DSE sales guy took it for sales calls in Florida.

5/23The Budnik steering wheel is the only clue that this interior has been touched. The factory AM radio, speedo, clock, and rack of warning lights sit untouched in the same location they've been in for over four decades. This cockpit is unrestored and most of the components have never been removed.

Even though the car is used primarily for suspension testing, underhood resides actually one of the most interesting parts of the whole car. Naturally, the car needed a little more oomph than the aged 327 was producing. Not only for adequate testing of the suspension, but also for the simple enjoyment of driving the car. Stacy was stepping up the motor in her Camaro, leaving the GM Performance Parts 383 that she was replacing free for service. The Chevelle would be the third home for this 383, as it came out of a DSE customer's car before going into Stacy's Camaro. It was far better than the very tired 327 the Chevelle had.

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The engine is basically a GM Performance Parts 383 crate engine with the addition of a Hot Cam Kit. This kit adds a bit more camshaft, matched valvesprings, and aluminum roller rockers. It was topped off with a dual-plane intake and carburetor to keep things simple. Kyle said that the engine was dyno tested at 440 hp, but that was quite a few miles ago.

7/23When the 383 went underhood, high-quality gauges were needed, but the Tuckers didn't want to hack up the dash. So an Auto Meter tach, oil pressure, and water temp gauge were mounted in a custom panel behind the glovebox door.

Other systems that stand out underhood are the accessory brackets, brake master cylinder, radiator, and custom aluminum tank on the firewall. This car is all about function, so don't expect to hear about hidden brake lines or hours of sanding and smoothing the frame-rails-that's not what this car is about. The front accessory drive bracket is a Vintage Air front runner system, and its modern design and function is in stark comparison to most of the components in the engine bay. It was designed to work with the DSE power steering pump, and everything fits nice and tight against the engine. The master cylinder and adjustable proportioning valve power the massive Baer six-piston front and two-piston rear disc brakes. The Be Cool aluminum radiator mounts in the stock location and a single 16-inch SPAL electric fan is tasked with moving enough air to keep things cool. And that funky aluminum tank on the firewall? It's a convenient way to capture oil vapor that would otherwise ooze from breathers in the valve covers. Pretty clever, if you ask us. Typically, the valve cover breathers ooze oil down the valve covers and occasionally onto the headers. This moves it to the firewall and keeps it in one location rather than two. It also matches the race-inspired look of the valve covers and several other underhood pieces.

The transmission and rear axle are still the original '65 pieces. Yes, that means that this 383 is spinning a two-speed Powerglide transmission. When we asked Stacy why, she made it plain and simple: There was always something more important to do on a customer's car or for the business, and the stock parts just kept on working. They did find time to slip a Truetrac differential into the 12-bolt, but left the 3.08 gears in place so the car can move down the highway without over-spinning the engine.

8/23Kyle and Stacy are only the second owners of this car. It had 60,000 miles on it when they bought it in 2001. Kyle uses it as a daily driver in addition to a test car and cross-county cruiser. The odometer now shows 103,076 miles, and it's still counting!

This Chevelle is more than a suspension testbed. In addition to the Baer brakes and other components that DSE sells for Chevelles, Kyle and Stacy also used the car to develop their 3-inch exhaust system for A-bodies. This system uses Borla mufflers and routes the exhaust all the way to the back bumper. If you're familiar with these cars, you know that's quite a challenge with the four-link rear suspension.

From the exterior, only two things set the car apart from the grandpa mobile that it was not so long ago. The stance is key. Combined with the wheel and tire package, the stance makes this car look just right. It's not so low that you suspect it can't be driven, yet it's not too high. And the tires fit without any body modifications, providing the maximum tire contact patch. This look also sums up what Kyle and Stacy desired for the car: It's something that anyone can duplicate without custom fabrication skills. It proves that you can have a great performing car on the road course that's also well suited for cross-country drives and daily commuting. And it can be done with bolt-on parts. It's even cooler that the stance and wheel/tire package are set off by the factory paintjob, complete with 45 years of parking lot door dings. Think of it as a muscle car rat rod minus the tetanus risk.

9/23Rather than have breathers on both valve covers, a breather tank was mounted to the firewall. Both valve covers are plumbed to it for one tidy place for excess crankcase pressure and the oil residue that comes with it.

If the Tuckers can find time, they have plans to step up the rest of the car. Kyle commented that he'd like to install a modern LS engine and overdrive transmission. Stacy added that this 383 will need to be bronzed when it comes out. It's clearly served above and beyond, much like the Chevelle itself. We kind of hope they don't get to those plans too soon, as this car is cool just the way it is.

DSE Suspension
DSE developed key components on this '65 Chevelle for the front and rear suspension systems. Both the front and rear suspension systems were designed to provide modern handling characteristics for classic '64-72 GM A-bodies, but the desire was to not sacrifice ride quality in the process.

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For the front suspension, the DSE team drew on the principles already popular for this chassis: Use a taller spindle and a shorter upper A-arm to improve the camber curve. Rather than trying to use a variety of production and aftermarket components, DSE engineered upper and lower A-arms and their own 2-inch drop spindle to create the exact suspension geometry they desired. DSE also does their own shock tuning, not relying on off-the-shelf settings. The latest version of this front suspension, the Speed Kit 3, includes coilovers with DSE shocks and springs, DSE splined sway bar, steering box, pump, and miscellaneous parts you'll need to add the updated steering. This complete kit is engineered to work together for a suspension and steering system that complements each other.

The rear suspension is also a complete system. The DSE control arms use a patented Swivel Link, which lets the axle articulate easily, thus avoiding roll bind. In addition, chassis braces connect the two forward mounting locations of the control arms for strength and rigidity. The Speed Kit 2 adds DSE coil springs, Koni shocks, and tubular rear sway bar. The new Speed Kit 3 converts the rear to DSE coilovers.